Pinbindung

In addition to the two-year statutory warranty, Dynafit now offers an extended warranty for touring bindings covering the entire product life cycle. This means that when you buy a new Dynafit binding, you are now covered for 10 complete years. To mark the occasion, we are giving away a ST Roatation 12 pin binding - is it Christmas yet? Not quite yet, but first things first.

Since the patent for the pin binding expired in 2014, new bindings using the frameless design have been appearing on the market at regular intervals. Apart from small details and design, the bindings hardly differ. The functional principle has mostly been adopted without any new innovation. The TR2 from Ski Trab is one of the few exceptions.

After we published a short test about a year ago, I have now been able to put the Fritschi Tecton through its paces in practically all conditions. Last winter, I took it to Alaska as well as the Alps, and now in "summer" I've taken it to New Zealand.

Possible breakage of the steel pins on the front jaws can lead to reduced release force and thus increase the risk of falling. Models 10 and 13 from the 2017/18 season (gold or reddish color) are affected. The toe pieces of the corresponding bindings will be replaced free of charge. Here is the press release from Marker/Völkl:

Last week in Obertauern we had the opportunity to test some new skis and bindings from Atomic, including the Shift MNC 13, which won Atomic a Gold Award in the Ski Touring Bindings category at this year's ISPO.

As in previous years, there are many technical innovations in ski touring boots. More and more manufacturers are coming onto the market with ever lighter models that are still very suitable for downhill skiing. One of the most interesting new models, the Hoji Pro Tour from Dynafit, won an ISPO Award but could only be admired in reality to a limited extent due to the lack of a Dynafit stand.

The Upper Bavarian equipment manufacturer is upgrading with a new ascent-oriented binding for ski tourers of all kinds. The Straubing-based company has expanded the horizons of its binding world: in addition to the Duke for big mountain and the KingPIN for all downhill-oriented "freeski mountaineers", the ALPINist is now a fully equipped Pintech binding that is available from just 300 euros and weighs just 245g (without suspension line and without ski topper).

After Fritschi, the traditional manufacturer of ski touring bindings from Switzerland, was able to gain a foothold in the pin binding market in recent years with the Vipec models, the new Tecton now presents a logical further development of the concept that is definitely worth seeing.

After a number of new ideas have been implemented in the world of ski touring bindings in recent years, it is hardly surprising that Dynafit has also revised the "standard" binding and added a few new features.

As in previous years, a number of innovations from the booming ski touring sector were presented at ISPO 2017. Both the "classic" ski tourer and the "modern" freetourer are addressed. And the ever-growing sector of piste tourers and ski tour racers will also be provided with new equipment. We took a look around the trade fair and provide an overview of new ski boots and bindings that will be of interest to freeriders and downhill-oriented ski tourers.

The ION 12 pin binding from Genuine Guide Gear (G3) follows the trend of freeride-oriented tech bindings: Puristic in its approach, but equipped with some clever details, the successor to the Onyx offers ascent-oriented freeriders another option when choosing a binding. We tested the strengths and weaknesses of the ION 12 in a long-term gear review.

After only a short test last season, several PowderGuide testers are now out and about with the Marker Kingpin and have gained some experience with the binding. The impressions and opinions of various people have therefore been incorporated into this test report. The good overall picture of the binding remains.